World Bulletin/News Desk

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has fiercely criticized Israel's offensive in Gaza, comparing it to atrocities carried out by Adolf Hitler during World War Two.

Speaking at a rally in the Black Sea city of Ordu on Saturday, Erdogan cursed what he said was a racist Israeli mentality that was killing innocent infants and children in Gaza and expanding its brutalities into the West Bank.

Erdogan said: ""(Israelis) have no conscience, no honour, no pride. Israelis curse and swear about Hitler day and night for the Holocaust, but now the terrorist state of Israel has surpassed Hitler with its atrocities in Gaza.

“Israel aims to break the unity of the Palestinians ... Turkey’s anger and disgust is against the oppressor Israel, not the Jewish people."

Erdogan strongly scorned Israeli MP Ayelet Shaked, who recently said that the blood of all Palestinians should be on their hands and that Palestinian mothers should be killed.

He said such people were not even human beings and had no understanding of piety, or of being a mother.

He accused the United States of defending Israel's "disproportionate" tactics, and bemoaned the failure of the Muslim world to take a stronger stance.

But Erdogan did warn his supporters against taking their anger out on the country's Jewish population.

"I don't approve of any (bad) attitude towards our Jewish citizens in Turkey, despite all this. Why? They are the citizens of this country," he said. Around 17,000 Jews live in Turkey.

Erdogan went on: "Now the Israelis are wearing a T-shirt with an image of a pregnant Muslim woman with the slogan: 'Kill two with one shot,' which shows the hatred and racism these people are bearing in their minds.

"Turkey will not remain silent on the ongoing cruelty because a great state does not remain silent and unmoved, but mediates and strives for peace.”

Israel advises citizens against travel to Turkey

Israel on Saturday advised its citizens not to travel to Turkey amid protests in support of the Gaza Strip in several Turkish cities, saying travel to Turkey should be avoided if not essential.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said on its website that Israelis should "avoid non-essential visits" to Turkey, advising Israeli nationals to be vigilant and stay away from anti-Israel demonstrations when they are in Turkey.

Protests broke out in several Turkish cities early on Friday against Israel's ongoing assault on the Gaza Strip, one that has left at least 341 Gazans dead and more than 2560 others injured so far.

Israel's military operation, dubbed operation "Protective Edge", which started on July 7, is the self-proclaimed Jewish state's third major offensive against the embattled Gaza Strip, which is home to some 1.8 million Palestinians, in the last six years.

Israel degraded its diplomatic representation in Ankara on Friday, following angry demonstrations outside its diplomatic missions in Turkey.

On Friday, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said in a statement that he had ordered the recall of the families of Israeli diplomats in Ankara and Istanbul.

He blamed Turkish security officials for "not taking action" to prevent the violence, holding Turkey responsible for the well-being of Israeli diplomats in the country.